rs of their card tables, and the splendour of their
parties, in every thing but manners, they are. Here, at his
own fireside, the very respectable man may be considered as
not at home till a rubber, a genial rubber, which is
provided him as soon as possible, renders him blind to the
folly and deaf to the clamour of the scene. The very
respect-able man shews to least advantage as a politician;
as his opinions are derived less from reading than
experience, they are apt to be dogmatical and contracted. In
political philosophy he is too frequently half a century
behind his age; is still in the habit of considering specie
as wealth, and talks loudly of the commercial benefits of
the late war. Such is the "very respectable man," a
character decidedly inferior to that of many individuals in
the class of society immediately above him; but which,
considered as the character of a class, appears to be
superior at once to that above and that below it--on a
comparison with that above too, it more than makes up in the
mass of its virtues for the deficiency in their quality, and
appears to be like Solon's laws, if not the very best that
might be, at least the best of which the state of society
admits. In the lower orders, the social character is in its
mineral state; in the higher, the fineness of the gold is
prejudicial to its durability. In the "very respectable man
"it is found mixed with some portion of alloy, but in
greater quantity, and adapted to all the uses and purposes
for which it is designed. As a civil member of society, if
his theoretical politics are defective, the advantages
derived to society from his industry and integrity, more
than counterbalance those defects in his theory. As a
religious member of society, if his religion might be more
refined, if his attendance at church is considered rather as
a parochial than a spiritual duty, and his appearance in his
own pew is at least as much regarded as his devotions there;
the regularity of his attendance, the harmony of his
principles and practice, his exemplary manner of filling his
different relations, more than make up for the inferiority
in the tone of his religion. The commercial and religious
capital of society are, in short, continually advancing by
his exertions, thoug